The “Ending Earmarks Express” RV visits Peoria? Does Ray LaHood know about this? Ray is one of the biggest apologists for earmarks in Congress today. You gotta give the guy credit for putting his money where his mouth is. Or is that your money?

As stated in the Journal Star article, the Ending Earmarks Express recently stopped by the infamous “bridge to nowhere,” and here, courtesy of YouTube, is their report (hat tip: InstaPundit):

Of course, as the article states, not all earmarks are for frivolous things like a bridge to nowhere. Some of the projects are worthy of federal funding. But when there’s no process for weeding out the pork from among the worthy projects, that system is broken. Click on the link below to see a list of Ray LaHood’s earmarks, courtesy of the State Journal-Register:

AGRICULTURE:

• $3,617,000 – USDA Lab, Peoria, Biotechnology Research Development Corporation
• $858,783 – USDA Lab, Peoria, research on crop production & food processing
• $3,625,000 – USDA Lab, Peoria, center wing construction
• $815,000 – University of Illinois, research on Livestock Genome Sequencing Initiative
• $955,000 – University of Illinois, research on soybean disease
• $545,000 – University of Illinois, research on Future Foods Initiative
• $1,170,000 – University of Illinois, research for Illinois – Missouri Biotechnology
• $500,000 – Illinois, Iowa, Missouri Corn Growers – Product Verification Protocols Project
• $850,000 – EQIP money for IL River 2020
• $100,000 – Illinois Trees Forever Conservation

DEFENSE:

• $17.5 million – Caterpillar, construction equipment Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) for Army, Army Reserve, and Army Guard construction equipment
• $9.1 million – Caterpillar, construction equipment SLEP and procurement for Navy
• $4 million – CH2M Hill, testing of Donovan Controlled Detonation Chamber
• $2.5 million – Firefly Energy, research and development of 3D Advanced Technology battery

ENERGY AND WATER:

• $500,000 – Children’s Hospital of Illinois, new facility
• $1 million – Army Corps of Engineers, Illinois Rivers 2020 for general investigations and planning
• $100,000 – Army Corps of Engineers, Peoria riverfront development
• $350,000, Army Corps of Engineers, Illinois River ecosystem restoration
• $350,000 – Army Corps of Engineers, Spunky Bottoms restoration
• $3.6 million – Army Corps of Engineers, East Peoria flood control

INTERIOR:

• $1 million – Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, construction
• $765,000 – Village of Pleasant Plains, construction of new sanitary sewer system

MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS:

• $9.6 million – 182nd Airlift Wing, IL Air National Guard (Peoria), construction of new Composite ASOC/ASOS facility

COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE, SCIENCE:

• $750,000 – Peoria County, emergency radio upgrades
• $250,000 – Logan County, E-911 technology upgrades
• $200,000 – Proctor Hospital, Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery for the development of the Don’t Gamble Away Our Future program
• $150,000 – Peoria County, upgrade court computer systems
• $500,000 – Central Illinois Regional Museum, digital dome planetarium equipment
• $1 million – PeoriaNEXT, construction of Innovation Center

TRANSPORTATION, TREASURY, HOUSING:

• $500,000 – Mason County, upgrades to Promenade Street
• $500,000 – Springdale Cemetery, road improvements
• $75,000 – South Jacksonville, playground for children with disabilities
• $80,000 – Beardstown Grand Opera House, renovations
• $100,000 – Quincy University, construction of Arts and Sciences Center
• $250,000 – Glen Oak Zoo, design and construction of Africa exhibit
• $100,000 – Lincoln Christian College, Hargrove Auditorium restoration
• $250,000 – Central Illinois Regional Museum, planning and construction
• $250,000 – Bradley University, renovation of Bradley Hall
• $250,000 – Illinois College, renovation of Crampton Hall